After the long and tiring winter months, the bright and sunny spring is finally upon us. Do you know what the best way to spend these months is? People who are a bit adventurous are choosing to embrace the sea and embark on a grand cruise vacation. It is in fact the perfect getaway option from the hustle and bustle of your daily lives.
There are hundreds of itineraries to choose your journey from. Be it some of the exotic cruises fresh from the Caribbean islands, a chilly voyage in the Alaskan Seas, or through the entrancing beaches of Hawaii; a cruise journey can easily perk up your mood.
One may wonder how these behemoth beauties get the power that enables them to glide through the vast seas. With more than 3500 passengers on board (in most cases), their propulsion depends on a plethora of tunnel thrusters, and stabilizers, and requires numerous polymer coating solutions.
Which are the Best Ships in the world?
Speaking of the best ship lines in the world, we cannot overlook Royal Caribbean International. It has four of the largest cruise ships, i.e. Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas. Most people don’t know that Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship.
This extravagant 1,188 feet long cruise made its first voyage from Florida, Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean on 4th March 2022. Equipped with four bow thrusters, each of them delivering a whopping 7500 horsepower, the cruise achieves the speed of 22k.
How Are the Cruise Ships Powered?
Cruise ships are heavy and big vehicles that carry hundreds of people and metric tons of weight. Today’s great-sized ships demand thousands of liters of fuel to run them and large electric systems to power them. However, there are three ways by which a cruise ship gets power.
1. Direct Drive:
This method uses the most simplistic method of power. It uses the ignition of fuel which eventually moves the large pistons up & down position. All these are done by pressurizing them with high-pressure vapor. These pistons are connected to propellers via a long shaft. This conventional method allows the engine to start at a very fast speed.
2. Diesel-electric:
Today’s cruise ships use a diesel-electric system to get power. The main engines have a direct connection with several diesel generators that produce electricity. Further, the electric motors give power to propellers and move the ships. In this whole process, the propellers use 85% of the total power generated and 15% goes to the rest areas of the ship.
3. Gas turbine:
A gas turbine is a comparatively environment-friendly option to power up the ships. The process includes gas turbines that drive generators and further provide electricity to propellers. The method uses heat from a gas turbine and produces electricity. This electricity further gears up the propellers and other parts of the ship.
Future of Generating Powers in Ships:
The future holds some greener ways to draw power for cruise ships. On the other hand, the industrialists are also planning ways to make it more efficient. The other options of energy like solar power are coming into consideration while thinking about the possibilities. Soon in near future, we will see huge ships running on the water with solar panels on them.